Online video has become a daily fix for millions of people. Now entrepreneurs are starting to cash in on that obsession.
Consider Valentina Trevino. The 29-year-old Chicago artist and filmmaker regularly posts videos on YouTube1, showing how she created a painting and what it means to her -- and musing quirkily on a host of matters. In one clip, she ruminates about the strange connection between the ballerinas in Edgar Degas's art and Britney Spears's custody battles.
The unorthodox formula has brought her a total of 8.2 million views on YouTube -- and, just as important, a host of buyers. At the end of her clips, Ms. Trevino includes a link to eBay, where viewers can buy the featured piece. (See an example.11) So far, she has sold every painting she has offered this way -- 49 at last count -- at prices ranging lately from $500 to $1,000 each. She also sells prints of her work and merchandise bearing the images and her slogan, "Eat Your Cookies." Before she started the YouTube diary, she says, she had to give up painting to pay the bills. Now it brings her a regular income.
A host of small businesses are trying this new twist on Web promotion, sending short films to Google Inc.'s YouTube and other popular video sites, advertising everything from root beer to blenders to bullet-resistant backpacks. For one thing, it's hard to beat the price: It costs nothing to put something on a video-sharing site, unlike buying television time or a regular Internet ad. And the videos let companies use a creative and personal touch that wouldn't work in traditional ads.
"It's so different than the message-driven approach to marketing that most kinds of advertising is," says David Meerman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR." "You don't have to talk about your product per se. You can just have fun with it."
But that leaves some big questions for companies that want to try their hand at videos. How does a small business thrive in a YouTube world? What makes some videos skyrocket in viewership and others bomb? Are there guiding principles that will produce a bankable ad?
Many entrepreneurs say luck or timing had at least something to do with their success. But a closer look at their stories reveals valuable lessons that any small business can apply. Here, then, are some of the most successful small-business videos, and the factors that took them to the top.
BLENDTEC: BE FUNNY
By far, the most common element among successful videos is comedy. Rather than offering airless advertisements or canned commercial messages, these videos deliver laughs as well as pitching a product.
Case in point: Blendtec, a division of K-TEC Inc., of Orem, Utah. In the past year, the high-end blender maker has drawn more than 60 million views for its "Will It Blend?" video series12. The premise is simple. A laconic host, Blendtec CEO Tom Dickson, uses the company's blenders to grind up everything from credit cards to golf clubs to an iPhone. Cheesy music plays in the background, and cheesy jokes fly freely.
George Wright, Blendtec's director of marketing, says the series got started with a simple observation. He realized that Mr. Dickson tested his blenders by putting 2x2 boards inside and letting them rip. (See a video.13)
Retail sales of the blenders have shot up 500% since the company started the series last year. This year, total sales are projected to top $40 million. And the series has brought Blendtec tremendous name recognition. When employees demonstrate the products at big-box retailers, people come out and say, " 'That's the blender that can blend marbles!' " says Mr. Wright. "Before that, [employees] were having to introduce the company."
The videos have also brought some new opportunities. Earlier this year, Novell Inc., a Waltham, Mass., provider of open-source software and services, paid Blendtec about $5,000 to do a "Will It Blend?" video for a company event. In the movie, a number of items got blended: a Microsoft Vista CD, razor blades, a stuffed animal, a flash drive and a Red Bull beverage.
"We thought this would be something fun for our customer base," says Russ Dastrup, Novell's corporate videographer. The message? "Novell Technology allows you to blend a variety of operating systems and applications into a seamless network," Mr. Dastrup says.
MJ SAFETY SOLUTIONS: TAP INTO CURRENT EVENTS
At first glance, "My Child's Pack" breaks all the rules of online video. It isn't funny or entertaining -- in fact, it's downright somber. But it has gotten nearly 25,000 hits on YouTube since early August because of its timely message.
![[See shots of video]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/SM-AA178_VIDEOS_20071125203832.gif) |
| GOING VIRAL A Valentina Trevino work in progress; MJ Safety Solutions' backpack |
The video begins with a startling statistic: "328 school shooting incidents with injury or death in North America since Columbine." It segues into photographs and news clips of the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings. Then comes the pitch: a bullet-resistant backpack from MJ Safety Solutions LLC, of Danvers, Mass. (See the video.14)
Co-founder Joe Curran, a carpenter for a construction company, says the company has sold 1,000 backpacks, at $175 each, since the video was released. He says the company has also received hundreds of thank-you letters from concerned parents, and a local police officer has started buying the backpacks for his grandchildren.
The seed for MJ Safety was planted in 1999, in the wake of the Columbine shootings. Mr. Curran and the other founder, Mike Pelonzi, started talking about their own kids and how ineffective their school policy would be in the event of a shooting. They decided that there was a need for "products out there to protect children in that situation," says Mr. Pelonzi.
This summer, when the backpack was finally ready for release, the Boston Herald planned to publish an article about it. The co-founders knew that a visual demonstration would help, so they cribbed together a short video with the help of family and employees. Toward the end of the clip, Mr. Curran's 13-year-old daughter, Amanda, gamely smiles as she holds up the backpack to shield her head and chest.
The Boston Herald provided a link to the YouTube video, and the groundswell started. "In reality, we're just concerned dads," Mr. Curran says. "We're not business marketing geniuses. It just happened that way."
ALL NATURAL MAINE ROOT: FIND A PARTNER
Most small businesses don't have the resources for an in-house video-production staff. So, finding a partner such as an advertising agency can help get a video campaign off the ground or spiff up a lackluster idea.
But there are a couple of caveats. This option may end up costing thousands of dollars -- a significant payout for most entrepreneurs, and a lot more than most companies spend on promotional videos. It's also crucial for companies to shop around for the right partner. The videos will turn out better if the ad agency understands the small business well and plays to its strengths.
For instance, back in 2005 All Natural Maine Root LLC, an organic-soda maker in Scarborough, Maine, was looking to boost sales but had scant resources for a marketing campaign. It found a good partner in Door Number 3 Inc. of Austin, Texas. The ad agency liked the product and clicked with the company's founders, Mark and Matt Seiler. And the agency saw the chance to do a campaign that would showcase its own creative abilities.
That led Door Number 3 to give the soda makers a big break on price. Maine Root paid about $20,000 for the campaign, but the campaign could have easily cost between $75,000 and $150,000, says Mary Pat Mueller, president of Door Number 3.
The two companies decided the best approach to the videos was comedy. "The key to a successful viral video campaign is to make people laugh," Ms. Mueller says. "That way, they'll want to pass it on -- and, that way, they'll look like the hero and the deliverer of the entertainment."
The concept also fit the Seiler brothers' personalities. "Their sense of humor is their brand," Ms. Mueller says. "If you meet them at tastings, they're outgoing, they're always joking."
![[getting the message chart]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/SM-AA173B_VIDEO_20071123160216.gif)
Together, the two firms came up with a premise for the campaign: mock exposés about soda. Root-beer activists pull off a late-night break-in at a corporate root-beer facility to free Maine Root soda bottles from the Director of Fructose Injection. A "Sugarcane Shuffle" rapper riffs about how "I like my root beer all natural / cause sugarcane is all my tongue will allow / All the others just taste like puppy chow / So Maine Root just stand and take a bow...."
Door Number 3 sent the videos to several sites, including YouTube15, stupidvideos.com16, ifilm.com17, purevideo.com18 and tvlinks.com19; it also created a dedicated site for the clips, freerangerootbeer.com20. To spread the word, the agency contacted popular root-beer and soda blogs. Major media outlets, such as CNBC and CBS's "Early Show," also picked up on the story.
The results have been dramatic. Before the campaign began last fall, Maine Root averaged about $500,000 a year in retail sales. So far this year, sales have soared to more than $3 million. "Door Number 3 played a huge part in our success," says Mark Seiler, Maine Root's co-founder. "They kind of took a chance on us. And I think it really worked."
MAKE MAGAZINE: BE USEFUL
Entertainment value helps a video succeed. But that isn't the only approach that works. Some small businesses have carved out a lucrative niche by giving viewers information they can use.
Consider Make magazine, a guide for do-it-yourselfers. Published by O'Reilly Media Inc. of Sebastopol, Calif., the magazine produces weekly how-to videos for a host of projects -- everything from making your own catapult to creating a cigar-box banjo.
The clips average about a million views a month on iTunes, Blip.tv21 and YouTube. (The most popular: a guide to screen-printing T-shirts.) The videos have also brought in lots of business. For instance, attendance has ballooned at an annual convention sponsored by Make, and the magazine sees dozens of new subscriptions every month. (See some examples.22)
"How-to videos are one of those things that lasts, that have a shelf life," says Phillip Torrone, senior editor at Make. "It's not like a YouTube video that's a 30-second funny thing. It might be something that they can watch over and over again."
Of course, entertainment value is still important, even if it isn't the main focus of the videos. For instance, Make realized it would need a charismatic host to make the clips lively. Mr. Torrone discovered Bre Pettis, an art teacher from Seattle who had been videoblogging about his students' art projects. Mr. Pettis, Mr. Torrone says, was like Mr. Rogers, Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye "The Science Guy" rolled into one.
Make's publisher, Dale Dougherty, agreed to bring Mr. Pettis on board in early 2006 -- after seeing a video of Mr. Pettis accidentally harpooning his cellphone. "There was a bad-boy kind of thing that I liked about it," Mr. Dougherty says. "It wasn't boring."
Mr. Pettis, jokes Mr. Torrone, "has been voiding the warranty of electronics ever since."
The 35-year-old Mr. Pettis, who now lives in New York, posts a video each Friday. In general, he spends one or two days on research and two days filming. He then takes a day or two to edit the video and write up a PDF with detailed instructions for viewers. "It's what I love to do," says Mr. Pettis. "It's my passion, making things and being creative and supporting others' creativity."
MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL: GET YOUR CUSTOMERS INVOLVED
There's one simple way to sidestep all of the complications of creating a video: get customers to do the work. Big companies have famously solicited user-made ads, including McDonald's Corp. and Domino's Pizza Inc. Now small firms are learning the value of the strategy.
Last year, Moe's Southwest Grill of Atlanta started a "Burrito in Every Hand" campaign, encouraging customers to send in 30-second videos about the food. The clips were posted on a Web site, where visitors could vote on them; the company reviewed the 20 highest-rated clips and picked a winner. (See the video.23) The grand prize: Moe's burritos for life, equal to 2,860 vouchers good at any participating Moe's franchise.
Moe's received about 40 submissions that met the guidelines, and the promotional Web site got 211,000 visitors. "We knew that our customers would really enjoy getting involved," says Sara Riggsby, director of marketing for Moe's, which is now owned by Atlanta-based Focus Brands Inc., the operator of Carvel and Cinnabon shops.
Ms. Riggsby says that the company has seen increased sales since the program ran. And Moe's achieved its goal of building brand awareness among younger customers: The majority of the participants were ages 18 to 25. The company's email marketing database also grew to 200,000.
The winners: four amateur rappers. Michael Squitieri, a 20-year-old acting major at Boston's Emerson College, wrote the script, and his friend Kevin Schwoer, 21, edited and put original music into the video. The group, which goes by the name "Notorious M.O.E. and Nacho Daddy," is now working on a radio commercial for Moe's.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PARENTS, STUDENTS,
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS,
& HEALTH CARE OFFICIALS
November 8, 2007
re:
Every day brings new reports of students becoming infected – and in some cases dying – of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a potentially lethal form of staph infection that’s easily acquired in public schools, universities and colleges. The most prominent symptoms include skin abscesses and/or infections.
While MRSA is more pervasive within health care facilities and attacks those with low immune systems, children and young adults in school and public environments are equally susceptible, as the bacterium is spread easily through skin-to-skin contact, open cuts, abrasions, and contact with contaminated surfaces.
On October 16, the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), reported 94,360 MRSA infections and 18,650 MRSA deaths in 2005, more than the number of AIDS-related deaths in the same year. Most experts expect that once tallied, MRSA-related statistics for 2006 and 2007 will prove to be considerably higher.
Even more disturbing, officials representing the CDC, the country’s foremost source of information for best hand hygiene practices, have acknowledged that’s it recommendations, first published in 1996 and specifically intended for health care institutions, have not been updated with regard to the use of rinse-free hand sanitizer products.
Although the CDC actually cautions against the use of alcohol-based products in particular situations, it remains steadfast by exclusively promoting alcohol-based sanitizers as the alternative to soap and water; all despite the fact that in recent years, equally effective and altogether safer, alcohol-free (non-flammable and non-toxic) hand sanitizer technologies have been developed and introduced to the market place.
Selective, and responsibly manufactured alcohol-free sanitizers have proven to be not only as efficient in killing MRSA and other common germs and viruses, but certain of these products remain effective longer, kill bacteria that alcohol cannot, and safer to use in any environment.
Most importantly, given that schools, universities, and licensed day care facilities throughout the country have been outright banning alcohol-based products due to their inherent dangers and noxious side effects, including skin irritations and risk of infection when exposed to open cuts, the current MRSA outbreak has created a dangerous conundrum for students, teachers, parents, and our communities.
The good news is that MRSA, and most other easily transmitted germs and viruses can be avoided with simple precautionary steps. The most essential include frequent hand washing with soap and water, and proper bandaging of cuts and abrasions. But when washing with soap and water isn’t readily convenient, appropriate hand sanitizing products should be applied.
Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizers -- The Popular Choice
Our product is called Soapopular®; and includes a full line of independently tested, alcohol-free, rinse-free, and fragrance free foaming hand sanitizers. First introduced to the Canadian marketplace three years ago in conformance with strict medical and food compliant guidelines, Soapopular® is FDA-registered and now available throughout the US and worldwide.
We’re passionate about the quality of our product, and we’re determined that alcohol-free is the most logical and most pragmatic hand sanitizing alternative. We‘re ready to put our resources into your hands, and offer a national proposition.
Soapopular® is dedicated to promoting responsible hand hygiene practices and helping to eliminate the spread of MRSA. We’re determined to keep our schools and workplaces protected, and our kids safe.
Be popular by staying healthy. Contact us to learn more.
The Board of Directors
Toll Free: 888-703-7941
US License:
"These days, a Web site may not even be the best place to start promoting your products or services. Instead, you can consider setting up a blog, participating in social-networking communities like Facebook and creating a storefront in virtual worlds like Second Life to get the buzz going.
“We launched our company in May 2006 with a blog, not a Web site,” said Jody DeVere, the president of AskPatty.com, an advice site that helps women find car showrooms and repair shops that are friendly to them. “Our blog has been the driving force of our branding effort and become the way we find our readers and our customers.”
Earlier this year, AskPatty created a virtual coffee shop at the online community site Second Life, where people can swap tips and stories. That move turned out to be a gold mine for the company. “The women in Second Life are the ultimate power Internet users, and are very comfortable doing business online,” Ms. DeVere said. “Plus, it is a very cost-effective way to reach lots of people.”
We love these types of product placement human interest stories so much that it makes us pee. Seriously!
Former Minneapolis Fire Chief: A First Responder in I-35W Bridge Collapse;
Coordinates Helping Hand Contribution of Soapopular Hand Sanitizers
Minneapolis, MN, Aug 8, 2007-- Former Minneapolis Fire Department Chief Bonnie Bleskachek, an embattled hero to many in the Minneapolis community, hasn't allowed recent personal controversy to stand in the way of helping Minnesota citizens in times of crisis.
Bleskachek, a career firefighter who, in 2004 was celebrated nationwide for being one of the country’s few women to be appointed Chief of a major
Pedro Mata, a partner of Mata Global Solutions, the Connecticut import firm that distributes Soapopular throughout the United States, stated, “Last week’s catastrophe struck a particular chord with us, as we had just returned from a planning session in Minneapolis with executives from Target, Inc., and we were immediately compelled to do whatever we could to help the emergency workers on site.”
Soapopular is one of few, next generation, alcohol-free hand sanitizer products that have been introduced since national news media first began reporting about the side effects of typical hand sanitizer products, including more than 12,000 cases of child-related, alcohol-poisoning cases directly attributed to generic products such as Purell and other brands, which account for more than 95% of the country’s hand
sanitizer market. FDA-approved, Soapopular’s active ingredients provide the same bacteria and germ killing efficacy as more widely-known alcohol-based products, but, unlike most hand sanitizers on the market today, Soapopular is non-toxic, non-flammable, antiseptic, hypoallergenic, kid safe, fragrance fee, and because its alcohol-free, it doesn’t cause hands to dry or become irritated with prolonged use.
* * *
For Additional Information
203.255.0034
Several former Wall Street investors are now specializing in marrying mainstream money with companies that offer such content or products. Separately, a handful of venture capitalists have already financed start-ups that receive a big chunk of revenue from making or distributing sexual content or products, and others are considering such investments.
Jimmyjane, a San Francisco company that sells sex-related consumer products including high-end vibrators (a gold-plated one sells for $250), has six venture capitalists among its investors. The company’s chief executive said he was close to completing a $3 million to $5 million round of financing with one or more funds — not merely individual venture capitalists but marquee funds.
“It will be a watershed,” said Jimmyjane’s chief executive, Ethan Imboden, formerly a design consultant to Nike, Motorola and other mainstream brands. He said the deal could be among the first major venture fund investments in an overtly sexually themed business.
The involvement of mainstream investors in such companies is still very much in its infancy, and even those with a vested interest in developing it say it may not evolve further. There are considerable hurdles, chiefly and simply the discomfort of many in being affiliated with products and services they consider immoral or that they think could tarnish their reputations.
In addition, investors are dubious that these companies can turn a sufficient profit to justify the risk. Pointedly, investors may find it tough to take sex-related companies public, or find big companies to acquire them, limiting their profit-making exit strategies. And the universities and endowments that invest in private equity funds and venture capitalists are not likely to approve deals they see as pornographic, investment bankers said.
But there are also som  | |  | |
| July 16, 2007 | |||
|
| ||||||||
Some CEOs Advertise | |||||||||
Such a prospect is not necessarily daunting to other e-commerce executives. Gordon Magee, head of Internet marketing for Drs. Foster & Smith, based in a Rhinelander, Wis., said a transition to video “will be seamless for us.” The company, Mr. Magee said, has in recent weeks discussed putting some of its product on video “so customers could see a 360-degree view they don’t have to manipulate themselves.”
Because Drs. Foster & Smith lacks a history in video production, Mr. Magee said the company would rely on vendors “who’ll do the video for you and just send you a piece of code to get it on your site. It’ll be an easy switch for most people. And I do think it’ll become a major thing in e-commerce.”
Whether it will be an expensive transition is unclear. In the meantime, Mr. Magee said the company should sustain its customer satisfaction levels as long as it continues to anticipate even basic needs. For instance, he said the company’s customers expect prices on the Web site to reflect what they see in the printed catalog, even though other retailers often post different prices in stores, in their catalogs and online.
 |
FOR years Internet merchants have poured millions of dollars into new technologies to make their sites easier to use. So why aren’t online customers happier?
Customer satisfaction levels have remained almost flat through the last several years, according to a survey of about 20,000 online shoppers recently released by ForeSee Results, a consulting and research firm based in Ann Arbor, Mich. The problem, according to Larry Freed, ForeSee’s chief executive, is not so much that consumers have ignored the many improvements made in recent years. Rather, he said, they still expect more from Internet shopping than it has delivered.
“If we walk into a local store, we don’t expect that experience to be better than it was a couple years ago,” Mr. Freed said. “But we expect sites to be better. The bar goes up every year.”
In ForeSee’s latest survey, released last month, just five e-commerce sites registered scores higher than 80 out of 100, and no site scored higher than 85. They were, in descending order, Netflix, QVC.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the pet supplies site Drs. Foster & Smith. It was much the same story a year ago, when just five scored higher than 80, with no site surpassing 85.
“Scores have inched up over time for the best e-commerce companies, but the overall numbers haven’t moved drastically,” Mr. Freed said. “At the same time though, if you don’t do anything you see your scores drop steadily.”
That dynamic has been a challenge for online merchants and investors, who a decade ago envisioned Internet stores as relatively inexpensive (and therefore extremely profitable) operations. Now some observers predict a future where online retailers will essentially adopt something like the QVC model, with sales staff pitching the site’s merchandise with polished video presentations, produced in a high-tech television studio.
QVC.com is evolving in that direction. The Web site, which sold more than $1 billion in merchandise in 2006, has for the last five years let visitors watch a live feed of the network’s broadcast. But in recent months, QVC.com has also given visitors the chance to watch archives of entire shows, and in the coming months visitors will be able to find more video segments from recent shows, featuring individual products that remain in stock.
Bob Myers, senior vice president of QVC.com, said the Web site’s video salesmanship is especially effective when combined with detailed product information, customer reviews and multiple photographs.
“E-commerce started with television commerce,” he said. “The sites who engage and entertain customers will be winning here in the near future.”
Such a prospect is not necessarily daunting to other e-commerce executives. Gordon Magee, head of Internet marketing for Drs. Foster & Smith, based in a Rhinelander, Wis., said a transition to video “will be seamless for us.” The company, Mr. Magee said, has in recent weeks discussed putting some of its product on video “so customers could see a 360-degree view they don’t have to manipulate themselves.”
Because Drs. Foster & Smith lacks a history in video production, Mr. Magee said the company would rely on vendors “who’ll do the video for you and just send you a piece of code to get it on your site. It’ll be an easy switch for most people. And I do think it’ll become a major thing in e-commerce.”
Whether it will be an expensive transition is unclear. In the meantime, Mr. Magee said the company should sustain its customer satisfaction levels as long as it continues to anticipate even basic needs. F
Some businesses, however, have managed to build extensive customer service systems without spending much money — and build them in a way that, they say, improves their overall customer satisfaction levels. Take, for example, Lala.com, the online barter service for CDs and DVDs.When the company began last year, it did not have enough money to hire an extensive customer service staff. But the site’s founders created online discussion boards to encourage a sense of community among customers. Shortly thereafter, they witnessed customers helping others with problems or questions, and a de facto customer service team was born.
Now, according to Anselm Baird-Smith, one of Lala’s founders, customers find help through so-called guides — a designation earned by a few thousand volunteers who have shown a propensity to answer questions in the forums. Not only do the customers get help, he said, but the volunteers are more loyal to the site than they might otherwise be.
“Those guys like coming to our site, spending a few minutes and contributing,” Mr. Baird-Smith said. “People like being known in their own community.”
Yahoo will announce new tools for online advertising today that could pull the company ahead in the race for what is called “behavioral targeting,” that is, the ability to better tailor online advertisements to the people most likely to buy.
The product, Yahoo SmartAds, would help marketers create custom advertisements on the fly, using information on individual buyers and information on real prices and availability from the vendors. For example, a person who had recently searched for information about blenders might see an ad from Target that gives the prices for the blenders that are on the shelves in the store closest to that person’s home.
The Internet has long promised this kind of one-to-one marketing, but it has often been difficult for advertisers to customize display advertisements with a broad reach.
“Ad agencies have been really struggling with how to scale the value proposition of the Internet,” said Todd Teresi, senior vice president of display marketplaces at Yahoo. “We now can get scaleable one-to-one marketing.”
The announcement of SmartAds also comes while Yahoo is recovering from an extensive reshuffling in the executive offices, including the departure of its chief executive, Terry S. Semel, and Wenda Harris Millard, the company’s longtime chief sales officer. Yahoo has struggled to catch up with Google in search advertising and has disappointed investors with its ad sales the past few quarters.
SmartAds is one attempt to catch up. Although the technology is complex, the goal of SmartAds is simple: show the right advertisement to the right person at just the moment that he is about to pull out his wallet to make a purchase.
“This fills a need that some advertisers have needed for a while — applying personalization to display ads, so they work like search and listing ads,” Mr. Kenny said. “Yahoo has a real advantage in SmartAds because of the data from their big and engaged audience, the combination of deep display and improving search capabilities, and the new changes to work with us at the technology level instead of just selling inventory.”
You need copy for your landing page but you're not sure where to start. First let's clarify what we mean by a landing page. A landing page can be a page that visitors come to after clicking on a promotional banner or link. Ultimately, the landing page must convince the visitor that they should stay on your site. You may also have a goal that you want accomplished, such as:
What's going to keep them there? The structure, the language, and the visual appeal all play a part of it. Chëck out these tips to create a great landing page, or reinvent the one you already have.
The Structure
People arrive at your site looking for answers. They scan to see if they're in the right place and assess whether it's going to be a quick and easy visit or a long grinding one. Your landing page is the welcome wagon inviting them in and feeding them the information they need. The structure of the page will either pull them in and encourage them to fulfill your goal, or distract and cause them to cut out of there before getting the whole picture.
The structure of the landing page in general should be matching that of the banner, äd or link they clicked on to get them there. So for example, if your PPC Ad is targeting SEO articles, your landing page should discuss exactly that. If a Victoria Secret's äd for lingerie shows up and you clÃck on it, you will be transferred to a landing page with the exact image and structure of the äd.
The Visuals
The Goal
Before you design the landing page, decide what the goal of the page will be. If you're looking for newsletter subscribers, the goal will be to have the visitor enter their information and become a member of your mailing lÃst.
Be a Sleuth
Do your research. Keep your visitors in mind when building your landing page and tailor it to suit their needs. By narrowing your options and focusing on your visitor, you'll stay on target.
Keep Your Focus
Keep the focus on you. You've dangled a large poster board over their head and pulled them in. Now that you've got them, don't give your visitors a reason to wander.
Use a Call to Action
A call to action, such as 'subscribe now' or 'get this offër' reminds the visitor why they are on your website. Place them toward the top of your page. For users that want to clÃck, it allows them to find it easily. For those who are still deciding, it's a great reminder.
Many sites place the consultation or contact förm directly on the landing page, which may not be such a bad idea. Again, you need glaring calls to action. Don't add several useless links on the page that will take the visitor back to your main site; rather include the links that will get them to actually purchase your product/service.
Write Like a Pro
No, you don't have to hire one to look like one. What's the best way to come off like a professional? Create landing pages with no grammatical or spelling errors. I recently hit a website offering 'discount holideys.' As I clicked out of there, I pictured the four-star flea-bag motel by the swampland I might have booked if I stayed.
Reassure
People get leery when they're asked for their personal data. If you're asking for personal information, make sure you have a credible privacy policy to back you up.
What Web Site? I Don't Need No Stinking Web Site!
One of the challenges faced by ThomasNet, or for that matter, any online property that is targeting industrial manufacturers, is in convincing some of the advertisers of the need for establishing a Web presence. These are traditional and, very often, conservative businesses that have been around for decades, and they cast a jaundiced eye at anything too new, too trendy or anything that even vaguely smacks of "geekiness." In many cases, they've been turning out steel widgets and doodads that have a very specific niche market. They know their customers, and their customers know them. So why would they need a Web site? Why would they need to advertise on a search engine? And why do they have to worry about a global marketplace? All the reasons can be summed up in two words: things change.
Agents of Change
In 1990, the travel industry was a relatively stable place. Travelers went to the local travel agents and the travel agents acted as the channel for the information from various airlines, cruise lines, hotel chains and vacation companies to the consumer. They served a vital part of the value chain in the industry. And with something as highly personalized and variable as travel, it was hard to imagine how these travel experts could ever be disintermediated.
Even when the Internet started to gain traction and the first online agencies popped up in the mid-'90s, travel agent' place seemed relatively secure, because of many of the same reasons we currently hear from manufacturers: They knew their customers, their customers knew them and the exchange of information back and forth between the two parties proved the value of this relationship.
In 1995, the number of single-office travel agencies peaked at almost 22,000, according to the Airlines Reporting Corporation. And then things changed. The online travel agents upped the ante. They demystified travel and opened up control of information to anyone who had Internet access. Airlines and hotels readjusted their booking channels to be able to go first to online agencies, and ultimately, direct to savvy travelers. Online communities formed that allowed travelers to connect with others who'd been there, seen it and done it, getting firsthand advice of where to stay and how to get there. And by 2004, the number of single-office travel agencies had been cut in half. Less than 10 years and an industry was decimated. Things change quickly!
Look East for the Future
In 1999 Intel Chairman Andy Grove said, "In five years, all companies will be Internet companies, or they won't be companies at all." Grove may have been a touch optimistic in his timing (imagine, someone over-hyping the Internet in 1999), but I don't believe that takes away from the importance of his message. One of the mistakes that travel agents made, and the mistake that many small manufacturers are making again, is to assume that just because they're not interested in a global market, all other competitors are likewise uninterested in their market.
The balance of power in the manufacturing world is dramatically swinging eastward. Another sobering fact that I came up with in the preparation for my presentation was the fact that in the U.S., there are currently about 14 million jobs in manufacturing. In all G-7 countries combined (U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Japan), there are about 53 million manufacturing jobs. In China alone, there are almost 110 million jobs in manufacturing. A manufacturing powerhouse the likes of which we've never seen before is gearing up in Asia. And those Asian companies are desperately eager to learn how to use the Internet to connect with new markets right here, in our backyard. To add to what Andy Grove said, not only will all companies be Internet companies, we'll also have to become global companies. At the very least, we'll have to be acutely aware of our global competition
![[Go to forum]](http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/it_discussions09142004171604.gif){kind=small}